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Admirabilis
The admirabilis are a race of aquatic, shelled, sapient beings who were all captured by the lunarians and taken to the Moon for their beautiful shells. Unlike both the gems and the lunarians, the admirabilis are a mortal species; like the humans they are descended from, they reproduce, age and die. Biology Admirabilis are capable of shapeshifting between two forms: a molluscoid form with a shell, and a more humanoid form. Their mollusc form varies wildly in appearance, but always resembles some kind of soft-bodied organism with one or more eyes, and a shell. In some admirabilis species this shell can be safely detached and abandoned (like that of a hermit crab); in others it cannot be safely detached without (possibly lethal) injury. The sand they were fed on the Moon caused them to grow to gigantic size; they are apparently much smaller in their natural state. Their "human" form – considered their "true" form – comes in two variations; one of which appears human from the waist up, but has many tentacles in place of legs, and the whole body is translucent like a jellyfish. It is also covered in a flesh-like material which seems to serve as the creature's hair and frilly "dress". The second variation is almost fully humanoid, although the lower legs branch into twin stumps, multiple prehensile tendrils emerge from the body (which can be used as weapons), and the whole body is covered in a black fleshy substance like a suit. Unlike the gems, the admirabilis appear to have sexes; the jellyfish-like ones are female, while the ones with the black suit-like covering are male. Admirabilis can consume rocks and gems, which are used to grow their shells. Their bodies contain an extremely potent acid - strong enough to corrode even diamond - which aids them in digesting the minerals they feed upon. However like all animals they do require organic matter for their sustenance; and have been shown eating plants and coral. Culture and society The admirabilis have their own culture, and are ruled by a king (female rulers are also called "king"). As the only mortal sapient species in Houseki no Kuni, the admirabilis are aware of the transience of their existence. They do not fear death, as they believe that it gives life meaning. This puts them at odds with the gems, who have trouble understanding death, and consider it to be a scary thing. The admirabilis who were brought to the Moon were fed with sweet water and sand for a long time, which in addition to causing them to grow larger also made them mentally regress to the point where they were little more than mindless animals, acting purely on instinct. This state is apparently reversible, as the admirabilis who escaped the lunarians' influence eventually regained their senses. Notes *After being swallowed by Ventricosus and later reassembled, Phos becomes the only gem who is able to understand the admirabilis' speech. *The admirabilis on the six moons are revealed to have undergone a great deal of speciation due to the different ecosystems on the moons. As a result, the admirabilis species which can safely remove their shells have become less common than those which cannot remove them, or which integrate the minerals they consume with their bodies. Category:Creatures Category:Fictional Creatures Category:Aquatic Lifeforms Category:Sentient Beings Category:Variable Sapience Category:Friendly Creatures Category:Future Creatures Category:Shapeshifting Creatures Category:Size-shifting Creatures Category:Animated Creatures Category:Comic Book Creatures Category:Mutates Category:Corrosive Creatures